マスコミュニケーションとジャーナリズムのジャーナル

First Nations Experience of the 2013 Alberta Floods: Media Representations and First Hand Experiences

Abstract

Thurston WE and Schill KA

Background: In June 2013, a severe flood affected Southern Alberta. According to the Government of Alberta, the "scale and impact of the flooding [were] unprecedented in Alberta", causing significant damage to homes and infrastructure. Many of the affected residents were from the First Nations reservations of Siksika and Stoney, outside the Calgary city limits.

Objective: To explore how non-Aboriginal Canadians frame First Nations' experience of the floods in print media, and how individuals involved in flood relief coordination respond to these frames.

Methods: We combined the results of a media analysis of mainstream print media with semi-structured interviews to achieve our objective. Articles from four Canadian newspapers and one international newspaper were included in the media analysis. Three individuals involved in flood relief coordination on reserve were interviewed.

Results: Four frames emerged from the media analysis; the "sympathetic", "unprecedented support", "unappreciative (or whining)", and "property damage or loss" frames. The interview data revealed a perception of bias in print media and that the media coverage of First Nations' experience of the floods was inadequate and inequitable. Participants felt the bias in the media reflected larger social issues surrounding First Nations in Canada. Participants perceived the media as a tool and as a "double-edged sword".

Discussion: We found evidence of what has been characterized as passive racism in the media. We also found evidence of a dichotomy between First Nation and non-First Nation communities, reflecting a larger social divide. The interview data confirm that.